The Whole Night Through

On the eve of his 8 week birthday, Benjamin slept through the night for the first time. (He must really like the crib!) He's had a couple nights where he's slept from 11 to 4 or something similar, but last night I put him down at 9 and he woke back up at 8:45 the next day. It was glorious. I don't know if it was a fluke or not, but it sure made me happy. I've read that once they're 11 lbs. (he's almost 12), metabolically babies can last through the night without eating. It's just that most babies wake up out of habit. Likely Benjamin will still take a while to make sleeping through the night a habit, but as a mother, I just have to brag a bit. My Benjamin is just so awesome.

Also, while we're on the subject of milestones, he shed his first tear yesterday as well. He had been playing peacefully by himself on a blanket for a while when he started to cry. I tried distracting him a little to get him to stop (using the those colorful linkable rings that he loves) and I noticed a little tear running down his cheek. They say that tear ducts develop around this time, so I guess that's finally happened for him. It was the most tender thing! As I wiped it away and picked him up, it made me think of the scripture in Isaiah 25 where it states that God will "wipe away tears from off all faces." I had never wiped anyone's tears away and it made me feel truly motherly for a moment. He's really my little boy. He relies on me and I love him so dearly. When I pick him up and he puts his arms around my neck and rests his head on my chest, there are no words to describe that moment. And now that he's a little bigger and sturdier, he's just so much fun to cuddle! I could hug him all day long.

His 8 week birthday photo




Also, along with the motherly warm fuzzies, comes another mother distinction - when it comes to Benjamin, nothing is too gross to handle. From spit to vomit to boogers to poop, no bodily fluid or substance bothers me anymore. Truly, it's just like people say - when it's your own kid, you don't mind. I used to hate being drooled on by other people's kids and don't even get me started on changing their poopy diapers! But for some reason with Benjamin, he'll wipe a booger on my shirt and I'll just think, 'oh, I'm glad that's not bothering him anymore.' What has happened to me? And I'm one of those people who's very conscious of my own personal space. Someone, even Kelly, breathing in my face drives me insane. Yet I find Benjamin's breath pleasing. When he breathes in my face, I think, 'how wonderful, that was inside my little baby.' Is that twisted? I don't know why all the rules change when it comes to your own kid, but truly, it's like Johnson & Johnson says, "Having a baby changes everything."

Every time Kelly feeds him, he tries to teach Benjamin how to hold his own bottle. Leave it to Kelly to try to automate even that process. :) So, here's an example of last night's attempt. Not bad in my opinion. It stayed like that for nearly the entire time he ate.

The Brand New Crib

Benjamin moved out of the pac-n-play bassinet to a real crib today. He's now just under 12 pounds and we noticed that no matter where we placed him in the bassinet, he'd sunk into the middle by the end of his nap. When your bassinet takes on a taco shape - time to move on. So, we got the crib and the mattress, but being the new parents that we are, didn't get sheets or bumper pads. Brilliant. So, he's kickin' it simple style - plain blanket on bare mattress with towels hung over the rails as bumper pads. It'll do for now, I suppose. :) After I assembled the crib (all by myself, hoorah!), I had to take a picture (minus the towels)and see how Benjamin liked it. However, today was not a good day for the little guy. He had some sort of stomach issue and had spent the entire day screaming, filling his diaper, passing gas, and going bright red in the face while grunting. He also almost pulled another 'all-dayer' except that he occasionally drifted off for 20 minutes or so from time to time. So, when I laid him in the crib, he was less than pleased. Had to get a photo of his reaction anyway, though. Couldn't pass up the moment. Currently he's sleeping quite well in it, thanks to Kelly, who took over for me once he got home. What would I do without him? (He even made a cheese cake a couple nights ago that we've finished off together this evening.) Cudos to all those single moms out there. I would be lost.

The new crib, still where I set it up, not where it will end up, since the pac-n-play has yet to be taken down.



Benjamin's reaction. I'm feeling the love.



Thought I'd include a picture of him actually sleeping. Mentally link this one to the one of the crib, if you will.

Has it been 5 years already?

Kelly and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary this week. It's been a wonderful journey and I look forward to all that's ahead. It also happened to be the week of Benjamin's blessing at church. So, the whole family came into town. His blessing went great. Kelly did a wonderful job. Plus, Benjamin only fussed a little at first, but thanks to some bouncing, he calmed down and was quiet the rest of the time. For our anniversary, we went to Cedar Point amusement park with a couple ward members and our whole family (minus my mom and Benjamin). That place has some the most amazing roller coasters I've ever seen! Not for the faint of heart (or weak of stomach, such as myself). We all had a fantastic time and luckily, only once did I come close to losing my lunch all over the unsuspecting populace below the coaster. That's one good thing about the LONG lines at that place - it gives your stomach time to settle before you flip it around again.

The family gathered for a day of fun.



Kelly in his oh-so-stylin shades and Ford Fusion visor which unfortunatley didn't survive the day. May it rest in peace below the hideously jerky and bumpy Magnum XL-200. So sad.



Benjamin in his cute blessing outfit. Thanks to Sue for making it for him. It's adorable.



The family at our place after the blessing.



We bought Benjamin some pajama pants today and this hat came with it. As it says on the hat, "so cute!"



Just a couple cuddly Benjamin pics. I love my little boy.





P.S. Thanks to all those who comment on my posts. I love to read your thoughts and ideas. Also, special thanks to my faithful reader, Julie, who I don't think I've ever met (have I?), whose good ideas and compliments have made my day many-a-time.

I am SO tired!

Benjamin pulled an "all-dayer" today. That's what I call the opposite of an "all-nighter." Not a feat for an adult, but quite a rare feat for a five week old. So ironic that he does this after I write what a sleepy guy he can be! The day did not go over well. It went something like this: eat, change diaper, play, get tired, cry like crazy for an hour or so until hungry again, repeat from the start. Only the further we got, "play" dropped out and it went from eat to cry and back again for the entire day. It was death. You could tell he was so incredibly tired. His eyes were red and his cries became weaker and weaker, but for some reason, even when he did manage to drift off, he'd wake right back up again. It was insane. We tried the pacifier, the bouncer seat, rocking, just letting him cry, putting him down right after eating, going for a walk in the stroller, etc., but nothing worked. He ended up being awake for nearly 14 hours straight. How my little boy managed, or more importantly WHY he managed, I'll never know. I can only thank God he's asleep now and pray he'll be better tomorrow. Here's what he looked like, in all his droopy eyed glory, as I fed him around 6pm - after being awake for 10 hours:



On a happier note, Benjamin has gotten really strong and manages to hold his head up for long periods of time now. Also, he really likes to practice standing. We will balance him and he will actually support his own weight for quite a while. It has stopped him from crying many a time and he often grins while he's doing it like he knows he's pretty cool. (No grin in this picture, but trust me, he does.)

Sleeping Beauty

Little Benjamin is the sleepiest eater ever. It seems no matter how hungry he is, once he starts eating, it's off to dream land. Consequently he doesn't end up eating very much and then is hungry soon after. Often just laying him down on a blanket so he's not all warm and cozy next to me will wake him up, but when that fails, I've tried tickling his back, feet, hands, and/or face. I've also shaken him, blown on him, talked loudly to him, and sprinkled water on his face. Last night Kelly went so far as to stick his foot in a cup of cold water! It did the trick for about 5 seconds before he dozed off again. Yesterday I thought I'd time him from the time he latched on to the time his eyes closed and he stoped sucking. Any guesses? 39 seconds. Yes, seconds. The other issue this creates is what the baby whisperer calls "snacking." He only eats an ounce or two each time and then is hungry again right away, once he's awake enough to realize it (usually about 15-20 minutes later). She says to try to drag out the time between feedings at first by 10 minutes, then 15, and so on until they're eating every 2.5 to 3 hours like they should. I've tried that. What happens is that he cries those whole 10 or 15 minutes and wears himself out so that by the time I finally give up and feed him, he's even more tired and he eats even less!! Not effective. The strange thing is that at night he goes 3-4 hours at a time and eats a full 4+ ounces before going back to sleep. I can't figure out why he can't do it during the day. Alas, this is the newest battle we're facing. I'm sure it'll will change in a day or two.

In other news, Benjamin has now been taking real baths. His cord finally fell off at 4 weeks. Here's a picture from our first bath attempt using a fancy baby bath tub. (With a carefully placed wash cloth.) I decided immediately I didn't like the tub because he doesn't actually sit in the water, so it's just like the sponge baths he was taking. Plus, he gets cold sitting wet like that. You can see on his face he's not too enthused. So, since then it's been bath time in the sink, but I've been alone doing all those, so no pictures just yet. (Bath time with a baby makes you wish you had 5 hands - 2 to hold him, 2 to wash him, and 1 to grab all the stuff you need, like shampoo, towels, etc.) It's so cute seeing his face as I lower him into the water. His eyes get really big in surprise. Once he's in, he seems to enjoy it. Today he smiled at me the whole time as I washed him. Plus, he looks so cute in his little baby towel with the corner that folds over his head. I noticed he's got a rash around his chest and neck and into his hair, though. I'm not sure if that's just baby hormones and skin issues or a reaction to something. Just in case, our bath today was just plain water, no baby soap. We'll see if it clears up. It doesn't seem to bother him, so I hope it's not serious.

Happy 1 Month Birthday

Our little Benjamin turned 1 month old today. Hard to believe it's been a month already. I ordered his birth certificate today. (Leave it to Detroit to charge you for even your first copy of your own son's birth certificate. This city is so messed up.) Benjamin seemed extra cuddly today, though, which was so sweet. He spent a long time in the afternoon just laying peacefully on my chest, not asleep, just laying there. That's kind of unusual for him. Normally he's either falling asleep or bouncing around when he's on my chest. I sat there and tried to make a mental image of the moment because I know some day he's going to be grown and I'm going to wish for my little baby back on my chest. He was also especially smiley again. He laid on his changing pad for almost 30 minutes staring in the bathroom mirror grinning and squeeling at himself and me. In fact, when I got hungry and wanted to take him into the kitchen, he actually started fussing as I picked him up and only stopped when I laid him back down to look in the mirror for a little while longer. Can he really see anything in it? What does he see when he looks in there? I'm continually wondering how he sees the world and what he understands of it. Can he tell that I'm speaking a different language to him than his father does? Can he recognize the music I play as the music he heard while in the womb? Can he appreciate the fuzziness of his blanket vs. the roughness of my jeans? What is he thinking and what about the ceiling/wall/mirror does he find so funny? If only we could remember being that age. It's sad that such perceptions are lost to our memory and those who know, can't communicate it. I think it would be fascinating.

Oh yeah, I'm one month old already! Check me out!


In other news, he also vomited his dinner tonight, which was not pleasant, but I felt so bad for him. I hate to see him uncomfortable and I can't imagine losing what seemed like about 4 oz. of milk through your nose is very comfortable. I don't know why, but Benjamin doesn't spit up little bits like most babies. When he loses his lunch, it's full-out vomiting. He doesn't do it often, but he does it in style. It pours from his nose and his mouth simultaneously and it's always more than I even thought his stomach could hold. Needless to say, the carpet will need some cleaning tomorrow, in addition to the rocking chair cushion and both of our clothes.

He was smiling right before this, but by the time the camera flashed, the yawn was all I got. People say he has my nose. :)


A couple more attempts at the perfect one month old picture. I'm really no photographer. (That's my arm and my knees in the background.) Thank goodness he's photogenic.


I thought I'd include the lyrics of one of my favorite songs in today's post. It's by Dar Williams and I tear up every time I hear it because I think it's such a perfect tribute to a mother's love. I think of my mother as I listen to it and I think of Benjamin. Enjoy.

The One Who Knows
by: Dar Williams

Time it was I had a dream, and you're the dream come true. If I had the world to give, I'd give it all to you.
I'll take you to the mountains, I will take you to the sea. I'll show you how this life became a miracle to me.

You'll fly away, but take my hand until that day. So when they ask how far love goes,
When my job's done you'll be the one who knows.

All the things you treasure most will be the hardest won.
I will watch you struggle long before the answers come.
But I won't make it harder, I'll be there to cheer you on,
I'll shine the light that guides you down the road you're walking on.

You'll fly away, but take my hand until that day. So when they ask how far love goes,
When my job's done you'll be the one who knows.

Before the mountains call to you, before you leave this home,
I want to teach your heart to trust, as I will teach my own,
But sometimes I will ask the moon where it shined upon you last,
And shake my head and laugh and say it all went by too fast.

You'll fly away, but take my hand until that day. So when they ask how far love goes,
When my job's done you'll be the one who knows.